Oleh/By		:	DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD 
Tempat/Venue 	: 	GUANGZHOU 
Tarikh/Date 	: 	27/11/85 
Tajuk/Title  	: 	A BANQUET IN GUANGZHOU 




Excellencies; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is indeed a pleasure for my wife and I, and members of my delegation,
to have this opportunity to visit and spend some time in Guangdong
Province and in this city of Guangzhou. By all counts, this is a vibrant
city, charged with enthusiasm for change and progress. Frankly, I must
admit to being surprised at just how rapidly your city has responded to
your Government's call for modernisation. In almost every sphere of your
city's life, old ways and methods are being discarded, while there is an
evident eagerness to experiment with new ideas. In short I see a new China
taking shape right within this city and more than ever I am convinced that
your Government's programme of modernisation will succeed.

2. In this environment of rapid change, I am delighted to note that some
things have not changed. I refer of course to China's well-known tradition
for hospitality. My wife and I, and members of my delegation, are touched
by the warm welcome you have extended to us, by your gracious hospitality
and by your sentiments of friendship. For this we extend our appreciation
and gratitude and we fully reciprocate your sentiments of friendship.

3. Excellency, of all China's provinces, Guangdong Province is perhaps the
most well known in Malaysia. Each year, many hundreds of Malaysian traders
visit Guangzhou for the biannual trade fairs which have become an
institution in its own right. Of greater significance is the fact that
Guangdong province is the ancestral home of quite a few Malaysian
citizens. This historical link has served as an important bridge for
economics and trade which had benefitted both countries. We must however
appreciate that with the passage of time family ties become less and less
tangible. As we develop our nations' distinctive characteristic such links
as there are will diminish. It would be futile to go in search of what is
no longer there or to attempt to revive that which has been severed by
choice, history and destiny. We should look instead to the future where
purely ancestral ties will be replaced by friendship between the Malaysian
people as a whole and the Chinese people. The businessmen in my delegation
are truly representative of the Malaysian people and it is my hope that
the contacts they establish during this short visit to Guangzhou will also
serve to strengthen the friendship between the Malaysian and Chinese
peoples.

4. Excellency, tomorrow my delegation and I will depart China for home. On
the eve of my departure, please allow me to request you to convey to the
Government of China my sincere appreciation for the kind invitation to
visit China and for the warm hospitality that has been lavished upon us. I
will take with me many pleasant memories of my visit to your country. More
importantly, I return to Malaysia greatly encouraged and convinced that
though there are problems still to be overcome, the prospects for further
improving our relations are excellent. The objectives in our bilateral
relations which we have set for ourselves will entail much work and great
commitment but they are attainable.

5. Before I conclude, may I invite you all to join me in a toast:- - to
the good health of His Excellency - to the success of Guangdong's
development - and to the friendship between Malaysia and China.

Thank you.